The Giant’s Causeway

Take it to the edge at this incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site along Northern Ireland's Causeway Coastal Route

Great For

Couples

Families

Scenery

Walking

Nearest cities

Derry~Londonderry | Belfast

Transport Hubs

George Best Belfast International Airport | Belfast International Airport | City of Derry Airport | Port of Larne | Belfast Port

The Giant's Causeway

There’s nothing modest about Antrim’s coastline. Drive along the famous Causeway Coast, and one stunning site leads to another, from the craggy castle ruins of Dunluce Castle to the pale cream sands of Whiterocks Beach. But as you weave along this great driving route, one sight jumps out as truly spectacular: the Giant’s Causeway.

This is nature at its most primal: carving the land into mad formations that send the imagination into overdrive… No wonder dreamy and fantastical myths surround it.

Stand on the hills that gently arc this precious place and you’ll look down on thousands of basalt columns tumbling down into the Atlantic Ocean. It’s an epic sight, with a whopping 40,000 or so of these hexagonal-shaped pillars, which dates back to a volcanic age almost 60 million years ago.

Giant’s Causeway Things to Do

Gigantic tales

Step into the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre and you can discover a story that’s close to the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The star of the show is Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) – an Irish giant who picked a fight with Scottish big man Benandonner.

It’s no wonder this place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because beyond the mindboggling beauty, the Causeway is our portal into Earth’s most ancient past.

Eleanor Killough, Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre

Legend has it that the giants loathed each other. And so one day after enduring insults from Benandonner, Fionn built a path to use as stepping-stones to reach Scotland, which was then ripped up by Benandonner. The result was the Giant’s Causeway.

Geological marvel

And what a truly unique place it is. An enjoyable walk of just under a kilometre will bring you down to the Causeway itself, where you can hop over the stones, explore the surrounding hills, or just sit and contemplate the puzzling geology that has led to one of the most remarkable natural sites in Europe. Here, the light changes through the day, with remarkable beauty from sharp greens and greys to warm tobacco brown.

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